


Mended Promises

by Lalafell_Princess



Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Adaptation, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Remake spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24024001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalafell_Princess/pseuds/Lalafell_Princess
Summary: It's been an arduous day. The plate falling was rough for all of them, and Cloud finds himself in the gardens to clear his head.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 8
Kudos: 61





	Mended Promises

Despite the metal sky hanging overhead, the evening felt soft and breezy. Stars poked out between the plates, twinkling down on another world. Cloud was rarely at ease, but something about the gardens around the Gainsborough home were calming. Walking along the flowered paths and listening to the babbling brook did wonders for him, although he would never admit to it.

The previous day’s events left him restless, and light footfalls in the house were enough to wake him. He followed the sound out into said gardens, taking a moment to appreciate their tranquility. To see flowers growing in such abundance in the slums was practically unheard of. Aerith’s ties to the Planet certainly manifested themselves in mysterious ways. A pang ran through him as recent events rushed to mind: the horrible grinding sound as the plate fell, the terrible destruction of Sector 7, the cries of the wounded… and now their friend had been taken by the enemy. How could this have happened?

He was pulled from his thoughts as he caught sight of a figure on the ridge across from him. Winding his way up the path led him to a solemn Tifa. So that’s who he heard leaving the house. Her head hung low, feet shuffling on the grassy hill.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked as he approached.

She shook her head, still looking out over the water. “No. You too?”

“I heard footsteps.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.” The bubbly timbre usually found in her voice was gone. She futzed with the fabric of her skirt, still not turning to face him.

“I’m a light sleeper. It’s a SOLDIER thing.” He didn’t want her to apologize. She was always apologizing these days. About his safety, about AVALANCHE, about the consequences… when was she going to figure out that she could never upset him even if she tried? His cheeks suddenly burned in the darkness. _Keep it together._

Auburn eyes finally met his. “That flower you gave me the other night… that was from Aerith, wasn’t it?” She let out a light laugh, and his stomach did a flip. “I knew something weird was going on. You, buying flowers… They symbolize reunion, believe it or not. I was curious, so I looked it up. I tried to keep it alive as long as I could...”

He bit his lip, thinking of the yellow blossom sitting proudly on the counter behind the bar. It really meant that much to her? Words bunched together in his mind, tumbling over one another, so he stayed quiet.

“But now…it’s dead and buried,” she continued. He could tell she was trying to stay strong, but her facade began to crumble as she spoke. “Like the bar…our home…and everything else.”

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she slowly walked forward. Cloud stood motionless as she came and laid her head on his shoulder. “They took everything from us. Again,” she managed to squeak out before beginning to sob.

She shook his whole body as she cried. She was right. Shinra had ruined their homes and lives twice now. Everything she’d ever loved and worked for was roughly pulled from her grasp once again. And to top it off, she still felt at fault for the plate dropping and for Aerith getting taken. He was mute as she clawed at his shirt, staining it with tears.

Hearing her cry like this broke his heart, much to his surprise. The fact that she’d opened up like this proved how devastating this truly was for her. For _all_ of them. And yet, she’d chosen him out of everyone to unload on. And he…

A lump formed in his throat, which he tried to swallow. He’d fought these feelings for so long. The life of a fighter was one of loss and hurt, one he didn’t want to involve anyone else in. It was less painful that way when things like this happened, because they always do. And yet he just couldn’t shake them. These past few days of running all over Midgar with Tifa were some of the best experiences he’d had in a long time. At first he ignored the butterflies in his stomach, chalking them up to reuniting with an old friend. But then Wall Market happened. He’d been terrified of what fate awaited her there in the dark rooms of Don Corneo’s mansion. That dress looked so stunning on her… and he realized the reason she had it at all was because they'd agreed to go out on the town together.

His shaking hands rose. He could fight it no longer. Not after everything that had happened, everything they’d been through. Odd jobs in the slums, jumping off the train in Sector 5, battling the paranormal, climbing the pillar… He gripped her quivering form in a tight embrace.

It felt so right, standing there in the darkness, comforting her. He just wished there was more he could do. He felt helpless, inadequate. The promise they’d made as children… this was strike two of him failing. First Nibelheim, and now Sector 7. He simply wasn’t good enough to protect her.

“Cloud…Cloud, you’re hurting me.”

He snapped to, releasing her. She wiped her eyes; she was even beautiful when she cried. “It’s stupid,” she murmured. “I know that crying’s a waste of time…”

“That’s not true,” he said quickly.

She gave him a watery smile, and his heart stopped. “Thank you.”

They were silent for a time. A large garden rock sat to one side, and Tifa lowered herself to sit against it. “I might need a bit before trying to sleep again,” she said finally. “You can go back inside if you’d like. I’d hate to keep you up longer.”

Cloud’s insides were tearing themselves asunder. He’d just held his dearest companion in a sincere gesture of affection, and yet he’d never felt more undeserving. “...I’m sorry,” he heard himself say.

She tilted her head. “Whatever for? Oh, for squishing me? No harm done; I know you were just trying to help, and I appreciate it.”

“For…failing you. I made a promise to protect you, and I’ve been unable to keep it twice now.” He slumped down by the rock. “You’ve had to watch everything fall apart, and no one should have to endure that.”

“Cloud…” He loved hearing his name on her lips, even in sadness. “It’s not your fault. None of this is, or was. I know you’ve been trying your best; we all have.”

He gritted his teeth. “Maybe if I’d been faster getting to you in Wall Market, or moving the trains in the graveyard, or fighting those guys on the pillar…”

“Cloud, stop it.” She put a hand on his shoulder. Her expression made him shiver. “Please stop being so hard on yourself. _Please_. It’s like Barret said: we can’t hold on to what was or what could have been. We’ve got to focus on the now. Don’t torment yourself with what-ifs, ‘cause it’ll only make it harder.” She sighed. “I would know.”

After a moment she offered another small smile. “You’ve been such a godsend these past few days, you know that? Your strength gives me strength. I know you don’t see it, or pretend you can’t, but you make a difference. A _big_ one. You’re the glue holding us all together. The spiky-haired, grumpy glue that’s going to see this through to the end.” She laid her head on his shoulder, but this time no tears blurred her vision. “You haven’t broken your promise. Far from it. I’ve needed help now more than ever before, and you’re here, aren’t you? I couldn’t have made it this far without you.”

Warm sensations snaked their way through his body. His usual pessimism was floored and confounded by her tender, genuine words. Longing filled him; he wished nothing more than to blurt out how much she meant to him. But he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. Not yet. So he offered what he could get himself to say. “…Thanks.”

Silence fell once more. He had a fleeting thought to tell her to go rest, but realized with a start she’d fallen asleep on him. His cheeks felt hot again as he nestled himself against her. The peaceful garden sounds combined with her sweet scent lulled him to sleep as he stroked her dark hair.

One day he’d tell her. Maybe one day soon, when all this madness had passed. For now, though, quiet moments like this would suffice. Moments where he could forget everything and merely enjoy her company. All of Midgar seemed still as they rested together in the flowers, bathed in iridescent, Mako-green light from the plate above.


End file.
